Charmed (23 Strokes Series Book 1) Read online

  I close off the tap and serve the beer she was pouring. I turn to see Penny sprinting up to a guy whose face I can’t see, but has a body that would put Adonis himself to shame. She launches herself into his arms, straddling her legs around his waist, and lays a kiss on him that is making me blush. Something about him is familiar, but it’s hard to get a good look with all the lips and hands flying around. Their mouths and tongues are all over the place and I can’t help but laugh a little and think, get a room.

  “He already has one,” Evan mumbles, standing beside me behind the bar, making me jump and scream out.

  I punch him in the arm. “God, you need bells on your boots or something.” He smiles, but it looks so weary and hopeless. I can see a bruise forming near his eye and I wonder what happened.

  I put my hand on his face, rubbing my thumb over the purple mark, and he leans into it, closing his eyes. It breaks my heart to see him like this. I tug him over to a small space so I can talk to him without prying ears.

  “Evan, I am so sorry. I should have called and that’s on me, not you. But you need to know they passed knowing how much you loved them.” A tear flows from the corner of his eye down his cheek. “And, Evan, they never for one second stopped loving you. They were always so proud. Always.”

  I know my mom, and maybe my dad too, tried to keep in touch with him. They would never have told me that, but I heard Mom trying to talk to him about what happened one night. I also heard her crying to my dad, wondering if she should go up to see him in person before he really did kill himself.

  But in the end, she didn’t and I don’t know if it was because of me or him. It used to make me so mad that they would care so much for him after what he did, but looking back, it’s what made them who they were. Why everyone loved them.

  “Thank you, Wildfire. I needed to hear that.” His eyes meet mine now and they remind me so much of the ones I stared into seven years ago, unable to hide the love contained inside. That voice in my head is whispering again. You were wrong.

  In a small voice he says, “I’m sorry for any pain I caused our family. I never wanted anything but for us all to be happy. I don’t know how it all got so messed up.” He closes his eyes again as if the memory is too painful to bare.

  What in the hell is happening? How can he not see that he messed it all up? He destroyed our happiness. Why is that so confusing for him?

  You know why, my head whispers at the same time my heart screams, you love him. No, I don’t, you stupid heart. Stop talking to me.

  Evan opens his eyes fast and looks into mine, searching for something. Crap.

  After a few seconds, he leans in, pressing a small kiss on the side of my lips. “I will wait here for you, Wildfire.”

  “Well, isn’t this sweet,” a snide voice snips out, breaking our moment. “Do I get a kiss too, Evan?” I glance over at a dark-haired blue-eyed man with a smug look on his face and a lip ring dangling from his mouth just begging to be ripped out. Alex the asshole. And all of a sudden I know who Drew is.

  I turn back to Evan and can see the anger rolling into his face. “Just leave, Alex. No one asked you to be here,” Evan growls, the rage pouring off of him now. Everyone calls Alex “Asshole” so for Evan to call him by his name means something is seriously wrong between them.

  Evan kisses me on the cheek and walks away towards the stage, leaving Alex glaring at me. He has a busted lip and now I also know why Evan has a black eye.

  Don’t even get me started on my feelings for Alex. He is an asshole to the core and has had something against me and Evan from the beginning. We were never anything but a joke to him. All Alex wanted to do was screw girls and play his guitar and he expected Evan to do the same. He never gave a shit about anything Evan was trying to accomplish. I seriously don’t understand why they even kept him in the band other than him and Drew grew up together. Ok, and he is a badass guitarist. Even I have to give the asshole that credit.

  I watch as Evan makes his way back to his stage. He seems to be perking up a bit as he gets his guitar out, checking the strings and that makes me smile. He has always belonged on a stage. He was born for it.

  I glare back to Alex and he is studying me. “Alex, save your looks for someone who gives a shit.”

  “Fuck me. You love him,” he swears, seeming pissed about it. His response stuns me for a minute.

  I’m about to respond back, but before I can, a resounding slap echoes in the rafters. Almost the whole room turns to see Penny swinging her hips as she moves away from Drew.

  Crap, I forgot all about them. Drew has a big grin on his face along with a red handprint. What the hell? Penny just strolls in behind me, shrugging her shoulders. “What?”

  I grab her arm, pulling her back as she tries to get away. “Oh, no you don’t this time, Penny. What in the hell was that with Drew?”

  “What? You had your man, I had mine.”

  “You and Drew? How did I not know this?”

  “There are a lot of things you don’t know about back then and one of those things was that Drew and I hooked up a few times.” Penny has a huge grin on her face and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her have that expression in response to a man.

  “That looked like more than you two having a few hook ups, Penny.”

  “It was.” She winks, leaning over, taking an order from a woman wearing too much make-up and too little shirt.

  I’m going to have to circle back to that, because I need to get back to work. I’m getting angry stares from people waiting on their drinks. There is even a man down at the end that just tapped on his watch. Guess who is not getting his drink anytime soon, I think, as I start trying to appease the patrons in front of me.

  I watch as Drew and Evan get set on stage, picking notes while I’m popping tops of bottles. Alex follows them up and something passes between him and Evan. I see Evan shrug, but his whole demeanor just changed. Relaxed.

  I think Alex is right, so hell must be freezing over. I do still love Evan. He’s the only man I ever have loved, if I’m honest. I can’t believe I’m considering this, but maybe I should give him a second chance. He seems so lost and confused. And I know he loves me. Or, at least, he thinks he does.

  Alex and Evan fist bump and just like old times, 23 Strokes, minus James, is playing the bar again. The crowd is going wild and Penny is already on the phone calling in extra hands because we can’t keep up on the orders.

  I begin to get a little worried about the amount of people pushing their way in the front door and up to the small stage. I hate to call the police, because everyone is having such a good time, but this could get out of control quickly.

  I’m in the middle of washing a glass, debating what to do, when another voice from the past assaults me.

  “Need a little help?”

  Steve is standing in front of me, smiling his devil smile, and James is walking up to the stage with a bucket and some drumsticks. There has never been any love between Steve and I, so I quip, “What? Are you going put on an apron and finally be my bitch, Steve?”

  Steve was another person in Evan’s life that didn’t want us together. He was afraid if Evan didn’t move to LA to record with the band, he’d quit and stay home with me. And since Evan writes all the music, there would be no band. But in the end, he had nothing to worry about because, true to form, Evan left Mills Point and never looked back.

  He laughs out, “No, but I’ll get some security over here so no one gets hurt.” Ok. I feel like an ass now.

  Using my arms to push my hair from my face, I respond, “Steve, that would actually be really awesome. Thank you. Beer?”

  “Nah, I’ll just take a water. Let me get on the phone and get some guys over here.” He pulls out his phone. “You and Evan spent much time together since he’s been here? You know, catching up?” he asks nonchalantly as he types away. I know these are normal questions, but something about the way he asks has red flags waving in front of my eyes.

  “Uh, not really,
” I reply as I set a glass in front of him. He doesn’t look at me again and he eventually gets up because the noise level is off the charts and he can’t hear his phone. Yeah, that guy is creepy and always has been. But I guess he’s a good manager since he’s still around.

  I take in what’s going on around me. Penny is laughing and dancing to the beat. The guys are rocking out, looking more like teens in a garage band than the polished rock stars they are, and I swear I can see Mom and Dad in the corner holding each other, smiling. She turns to me, giving me a head nod in Evan’s direction.

  I blink and they are gone, but something has changed. I can feel it in my heart and in my soul. Magic. The magic is back. I close my eyes, letting my head fall back as it fills every part of me. I begin to come alive as my heart slowly pieces itself back together.

  Penny is watching me intently and I laugh when she rolls her eyes and shakes her head with a big stupid grin on her face. She feels it too and already knows what I’m thinking.

  I know there are a lot of things that still need to be discussed, but not tonight. Tonight, I’m claiming my Prince. I’ll deal with the consequences tomorrow.

  Chapter 16

  Evan

  I wasn’t sure how I was going to play after the rollercoaster of a day I’d had, but Alex jumped onto the stage, catching my eyes, and said, “Do what you need to do, Fucker. I’ll stand with you.”

  I shrugged like I didn’t give a shit, but my chest settled, knowing I had my brother’s support. Then James showed up with a bucket and some sticks a few songs in and the band was whole. I thought I saw Bill and Nancy standing in a corner, but I blinked and they were gone. Yet, somehow the pain of losing them is less. It too feels settled.

  We are crammed up here, playing songs from the first album with nothing but a bucket, mic, three guitars, and everyone is loving it. I seriously don’t remember the stage being this small though, and James doesn’t even have a kit. How in the hell did we ever fit all our equipment up here?

  It’s been so long, I can’t even remember all the words to some of the songs, but the crowd is singing so loud, you’d never notice. I know Alex is having the same issue, because the riffs are coming out of left field.

  We’ve all been watching him, wondering what he is doing. He has this goofy ass grin on his face while he jumps up and down and Alex never cracks a smile on stage. Never, as in, not one time since I’ve known him have I ever seen him do more than smirk at the ladies, so who gives a fuck, right?

  Alex is a strange dude, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. Just in a way that is hard to connect with. Even after playing with him for over seven years, I can’t say that I really know him. I know what he tells me, but that isn’t everything.

  He has panic attacks and nightmares from his childhood and I guess it’s easier for him to put up this asshole front because people tend to leave him alone, including the band, which is what he prefers. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not all a front, he is a big asshole and we fight more than we talk, but there is more to him. When he’s being real, he actually sounds like a smart guy, but it’s so rare that I can’t say for sure. Of course, I’m considered the dumbass of the group so what do I know.

  James tends to fade into the background, not by choice, but just because he’s calm and the rest of us are loud fighters. He is the only one that really takes on more than just playing music and because he is so easy going, he works best with Steve. He has picked my sorry ass off too many bathroom floors and probably saved my life more times than I can count.

  Drew mostly takes care of his own, and that includes the band. He’s the only one with an actual blood family that I know of, and they are close. Like, call home every three days close and I respect him for it. He has just as quick a temper, but it’s usually over someone messing with what he considers his. We all learned pretty quick to not touch what is his, especially when it comes to his sister. You look at Laura the wrong way and you’ll get a punch to the face before you can blink. But that aside, he’s cool as fuck.

  So while James and Drew mostly keep peace and Alex goes around being an asshole, I sing, play, and write songs, punching Alex or Drew when I lose my cool. That’s the fucked up 23 Strokes family and we take it seriously. Fuck with one of us, you fuck with all of us.

  Wildfire waddles, her ass leading the way, dragging something over to James. She drops off an empty pony keg with some copper mugs balancing on top. Tall Girl is right beside her with more buckets, a chair, and metal sheeting she must have pulled from the wall.

  We finish the current song, staring at them. Only James understands and gives them each a high five and a, “Right on, girls!” He starts testing the different sounds and begins building himself a kit. I flash my eyes to Wildfire in awe and I’m met with two of the craziest wildest blue eyes I have ever seen.

  I’m swooning like an 80’s girl at a Bon Jovi concert when Wildfire begins sauntering over to me, and I think I might actually faint from her seductive powers. She comes to stand right in front of me, points to the floor in front of her, and says, “You. Here. Now.”

  Good God how did my life go from shit to amazing this quickly. I jump and before my feet even hit the ground she has her hands tangled in my hair, pulling it hard, tongue moving around in my mouth, fighting with mine for dominance, and body pressed up to me so hard that my pants are getting tight.

  She breaks away only enough to pant out, “You and I are going to have a conversation about our happily ever after.” She assaults my mouth again and pushes my chest, sending me stumbling back into the stage. I watch amazed as the girl I met seven years ago walks back to the bar, tossing her flaming hair over her shoulder and swinging those hips like she was born to do it.

  I turn to jump back on the stage and James and Alex have their mouths hanging open. Drew’s is open too, but it’s got Tall Girl’s tongue in it so I’m sure he didn’t see the amazing thing that just happened.

  I’m wearing the biggest shit-eating grin you’ve ever seen and turn towards Drew and Tall Girl. “Tall Girl, I thought you had better taste than this asshole.”

  She stops sucking his face, peering up with a huge smile of her own. “I do, but a girl likes to slum every now and then.” She slaps Drew on the ass and walks back over to the bar to join Wildfire, them giving each other a high five and then a low five from behind as they pass.

  “Can anyone tell me what the fuck just happened and why there isn’t a hot bitch sucking on my face?” Alex gripes and I start laughing because I’m usually the one with no fucking clue.

  “Because no girl slums that low, Asshole,” I retort, earning a fist bump from James.

  Alex looks over to Drew. “Man, I thought she caught you with some groupie. How are you getting action after that?”

  Drew flinches but throws on a smirk, covering fast. “Skills, my man…skills.” And he starts thumping out a bass line, ending the conversation.

  We all join in and continue on with the show. I’m jumping around, keeping the rhythm on my guitar, belting out lyrics with more heart than I have in years. I’m happy to see the fans filming this because it’s got to be in the top favorite shows I’ve ever played. I hope someone caught Wildfire’s kiss. That needs to be played again and again. And again.

  Wildfire and I catch each other’s eyes throughout the night and she’s toying with me. I’ve seen her put whip cream on her finger, put it in her mouth and slowly pull it out, lick her lips while rubbing her hand down her chest, and now she is leaning over the bar, cleavage on display and ass swaying in her tight jeans reflecting in the mirror behind her. The student has surpassed the master.

  The lights come on and I guess that means we’re done. We all hop off the stage and start shaking hands and signing autographs. I’m only now noticing the bouncers and bodyguards standing around the room and at the door. Guess Steve is taking care of things. Maybe I’m too hard on him because I’m actually grateful he is here handling this for us and for Wildfire. We had a few incidents wh
ere we were mobbed and girls got hurt. I don’t want to ever see that happen again.

  Steve and security are making sure the last of the patrons leave the premises while we all sit where four beers have been set up. Wildfire stands with Tall Girl behind the bar, both looking smug, realizing they have us right where they want us.

  They are leaning back with arms crossed under their chests, pushing their tits up and out, taking us in. Everyone has his eyes glued to that cleavage on display and I’m about to start kicking some ass if they don’t all start focusing on Tall Girl instead of Wildfire.

  “Well, well, well, boys…Here we all are again,” Tall Girl drawls, handing a beer to Wildfire, them clinking the sides together.

  “Yes, boys,” Wildfire responds, taking a drink of her beer, “here we all are again. Whatever will we do?” She is staring straight at me with all her crazy on full display and fuck finishing this beer.

  “You ready to go have that conversation, Wildfire?” I ask, already standing, not taking any other answer but yes.

  “Why, yes, Evan. I do believe I am.” She sashays around the bar, looking hot as fuck. I grab her by the waist and sling her over my shoulder, giving her butt a slap as I walk us out the back door, her giggling along the way. I head to the parking lot and over to her old beat up Corolla.

  I set her down with her back against the driver’s side door and press up against her, pushing a strand of hair from her face to behind her ear. I kiss her hard and long, and she returns it with the same desperation. I break away only because I need to apologize for earlier before this goes any further.

  “Wildfire, about before...”

  “Evan, we both let our mouths get the best of us. It’s fine.” She laughs. “Honestly, that felt more like old times than anything else you’ve tried. Guess calling me a little shit did the trick.” She has on her shark-toothed smile and she’s so beautiful I’m sure it’s her lighting up this parking lot instead of the streetlight.